Sheffield children bring the house down on London’s West End stage

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Stephanie Bateman

Children from a local theatre school had the time of their lives after a gala performance at Her Majesty’s Theatre, home to The Phantom of the Opera on Sunday.

For one night only, the West End stars made way for part-time theatre school Razzamataz Sheffield to take part in a special gala performance which showcased the talented youngsters and brought the house down with their take on the classic musical Chicago.

The cast of 26 girls and 6 boys brought to life the incredible songs and storytelling that had the audience cheering along with the young performers. In Razzamataz Sheffield’s take on the musical, Roxie Hart is a wannabe star who finds herself on the women’s block of Cook Country Jail which is inhabited by Velma Kelly and other murderesses. We hear from them all about why they ‘didn’t do it’ and follow Roxie’s journey as she instructs the best lawyer in town, Billy Flynn. Billy convinces the jury that Roxie acted in self-defense and when Roxie and Velma are released without charges, they form a deadly double act!

“We are so proud of each and every one of our performers at Her Majesty’s Theatre,” says Helen Bell, Principal of Razzamataz Sheffield. “The energy on the stage was incredible and the audience could not help but get swept along with the joy of the children on stage.”

The young cast have been rehearsing for months and had to combine singing, dancing and drama to tell the full story. The rehearsal process has given the cast a chance to capture the emotions of the piece and shown a real sense of maturity and understanding. The challenge for the performers was to dance at an incredibly high standard, they mixed authentic street dance in with the musical’s well known numbers so to flip form one style to another was difficult.

“The youngest performer in the cast was just ten and a half but they all blew us away with how they took on their individual roles and really got into their characters,” adds Helen. “We have had wonderful feedback on how much the children seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage, which is what it is all about and many of them have told us that this really was a magical experience for them. Making dreams come true is a real privilege for us at Razzamataz.”

The Principal, teachers and staff are very proud of students at Razzamataz Sheffield The school’s ethos is to have fun, meet new friends, build confidence and learn skills in the performing arts and this show is just one of the ways students have of showcasing all they learn every week at the theatre school.

As well as performing on a West End stage, students at the school also performed at the Sheffield Christmas Light Switch On, at Age UK, the Superkids awards and are looking forward to performing in Disneyland this time next year.

Razzamataz creates ‘triple threat performers’ meaning students leave being skilled in dance, drama and singing. During their time at Razzamataz, they will cover lots of different genres from classic West End musical theatre through to acting for camera, street dance and pop singing. There are lots of opportunities to perform locally and on London’s West End stage and many students are securing professional work, filming adverts and performing professionally on stage.

The fun classes are for all children whatever their background or ability and there is a strong focus on keeping fit and active, having fun and making friends. Classes start at age four and go on to 18 and there are lots of opportunities to perform giving children the opportunity to grow in confidence.

For more information about a free session or on joining Razzamataz Sheffield contact Helen on sheffield@razzamataz.co.uk or 07979 189177. Alternatively visit sheffield.razzamataz.co.uk.